During the gig

1. Own the space. There's nothing worse than watching a beatboxer in a hoody, standing still doing their own thing. Use the space. Make sure you can be seen and stand out. Move around. Use your arms and hands in time to the music. You are a performer! Also, make sure there is nothing else happening on stage to distract the crowd - no DJs sorting through records, etc.
2. Perform some covers. Unless you're a very well known and original beatboxer, doing covers of tunes that people know is a great way to get them hooked into your performance. Try and do something popular and that people will recognise.

To bite or not to bite?

In Europe it's more acceptable to copy a Rahzel or Kenny Muhammed routine as long as you cite them. It's seen as a compliment! In the USA this is not the case and you might get thrown off stage for biting someone elses routine. Be warned. You will get more respect for doing your own thing.

3. Be unique. Perform your own unique and well-crafted routines. For example, everyone knows TyTe for his echoes, Scooby-Doo and Dalek routines. However, don't try anything new on stage unless you're a seasoned improviser.
4. Keep going. If you make a mistake, don't mention it and keep going. The chances are no-one will have noticed and they'll forget if you just keep on going! Keep going too if the monitoring suddenly cuts out or there's another technical hitch.
5. Engage with the crowd. Make sure you maintain eye contact with the whole audience and don't turn your back on any part of the crowd. Communication is important. Using humour can help, especially at the beginning to get the crowd on side. If you must, talk to the crowd and get them going but don't talk too much between routines. You need to maintain the flow.
6. Collaborate. Working with other artists can help create variety and fill a larger slot in a show. For example, DJ, MC or other beatboxer.
7. Provide Cues. Make it obvious when you've finished a routine. Move the mic away from your mouth, step forward, call out "Did you feel that?" or some other cue to get the crowd cheering. When you finish the whole set, tell them who they've been listening to and thank them - "You've been listening to the TyTe - peace."
8. Show sportsmanship. Don't just big up yourself, but big up other performers, especially other people you battle.
9. The big finish. Save your best routine for last and always leave the crowd wanting more. Always have at least two extra routines up your sleeve in-case you get an encore or the host comes up to you and asks you to fill for an extra few minutes - these need to be crowd winning routines!
10. Enjoy the show! Relax and enjoy the ride. Don't take it too seriously. If you are having fun then the crowd will have fun too.

Thanks to Ben Oprstu, TyTe, Guynextdoor, Selector, Jonathan, KaGhaaz and White Noise and Nerbiz.